Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-286) and index

Living luxe -- How much is too much? : the rule of celebrity hairdressers -- Fashion queens : the birth of haute couture -- Fashion slaves : marketing la mode -- Cinderella's slipper and the king's boots : shoes, boots, and mules -- From the French cook to crème brûlée : how cooking became haute cuisine -- The world's first high-priced lattes : chic cafés -- The night they invented champagne : When the bubbly became an overnight sensation -- King of diamonds : diamonds, diamonds, and more diamonds -- Power mirrors : technology in the service of glamour -- Bright lights, big city : from streetlights to nightlife -- Waterproofed walking : the original folding umbrella -- A new kind of shopping : antiques, fine furniture, and interior decoration -- "The most sweetly flowered king" : perfume, cosmetics, and la toilette -- "The most magnificent party possible" : entertaining Versailles style

One of the foremost authorities on seventeenth-century French culture provides an account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style, and glamour that still rule our lives today. DeJean explains how a handsome and charismatic young king with a great sense of style decided to make both himself and his country legendary. When the Sun King's reign began, his nation had no particular association with elegance, yet by its end, the French had become accepted as the world's arbiters in matters of taste and style. DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafés, nightlife, and fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited confines of court circles--and Paris was its magical center. --From publisher description

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